Sun visor for automobiles



June 20, 1939. s. M. LEVY 2,163,495

SUN VISOR FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19, 1938 50LOM0/v M. LAG/ 7 INVENTOR.

June 20, 1939. s. M. LEVY 2,163,495

SUN VISOR FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. 19, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 !Y' 12 "m y 5OLOMON M. L EV),

' INVENTOR.

Patented June 20, 1939 SUN VISOR FOR. AUTOMOBILES Solomon M. Levy, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of two-fifths to Leslie W. Bettis, Los Angeles,

Calif.

9 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in sun visors for automobiles. I An important object of the invention is to provide a sun visor for automobiles which is capable of as wide a range of adjustment as that possible by the use of a ball and socket joint, thus making it possible not only to turn the visor about an axis. extending through it, but also to move it bodily through a plurality of different planes, this being done in such a manner as to obstruct sun glare in an area which heretofore has remained unshielded.

An important object of the invention is to provde a sun visor for automobiles, said visor being located centrally of the windshield and being lished to continue unchanged and its use to. re-

main always effective.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a sun visor which will obstruct glare from the front of the vehicle when adjusted rearwardly of the rear vision mirror in an edgewise vertical manner, such adjustments in no way changing the position ofsaid mirror when once definitely set, the visor also being adjustable when it is rotated through a horizontal position, to obstruct glare from the side of the vehicle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel combination. of mirror support and sun visor-support.

Other objects, features, and advantages of invention will be apparent during the course of the following description:

Automobiles being manufactured today usually come equipped with a single sun visor positioned in the forward portion of the roof of a car in such a manner that it may be adjusted to obstruct sun glare in front of the driver aswell as from the side. The car may be delivered or equipped subsequently with an auxiliary visor for shielding sun glare from the occupant of the car. 7

These visors; however, do not extend'in back of the rear vision mirror, and due to the V-shape of the windshield, are inadequate to protect the driver or the occupant of the car from the sun glare which is unshielded in the portion adjacent to that area. Neither is it possible to extend the present visors to a point adjacent the center where the two wings meet at what might be termed the vertex of the intersecting panes, be-

cause that would render the rear vision mirror ineffective when said visors are downwardly ad-' justed to a sun obstructing position; nor can the present visors be manipulated in an edgewise .manner in a vertical plane between the mirror and the windshield. 3

' and Application September 19, 1938, Serial No. 230,528v

A sun visor structure suited to meet these needs in an improved and superior manner is provided by this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking from a point rearward of the driver's seat toward the windshield of an automobile equipped with my improved device. In said view, the device is shown in two positions by means of dotted and full lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the novel combnation of sun visor support andmirror support.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. In said view, is shown the means by which the device is attached to the frame of the car.

Fig. 4 is a view of the device taken fromthe view point indicated by the arrows 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the parts of the visor supporting bracket.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1,

showing another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a side elevatio of the device looking I from the center to the le t in Fig. '7, a fragment of the roof of the car being shown.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, except that the observer is looking in the opposite direction.

Fig. 10 is a fragmental section taken on line i0lli of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is a face view of the ball joint plates,

' Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the visor's ball joint shown in Fig. 10.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, and having reference first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the sun visor of v the present invention consists of a dual visor compris'ng plate like wings ii and I2. Said wings are adjustably mounted on a bracket I3 by means of bolts 14 and i5, located in adjacent corner portions of said wings, to swing in an edgewise manner in a vertical plane between therear vision mirror l6 and the windshield l1.

. The rear vision mirror. I6 is fastened to the frame of the car l8, (see Fig. 3) by means of screws I 9 and 20 tapped therelnto, said screws being also utilized to support the bracket i3. The rrar vision mirror is of a conventional type. It comprises a dished base plate member 22 having a bent shank'23 provided with a ball 24 which is mounted in a socket bearing 24a in the mirror frame 25.. A trim member 26 is disposed between cated at the mid-length of the mirror in line with the shank 23 thereof.

In Fig. 1, the wings H and i2 of the visor are shown in full lines in the inoperative position and in dotted lines in the operative position. In the latter position, the wings are disposed in back of the mirror i 6 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In Fig. 3, wing it is partially shown in dotted position, in which position it normally rests when manually adjusted to the inoperative position.

In Fig. 1 are shown the usual sun visors 28 and 25. Said visors are mounted to swing up and down about their horizontal longitudinal supports 23a and 25a with their free inner ends each direeted towards the center of the car. It will therefore be seen by viewing Fig. l, the visors 28 and 2% do not extend sufilciently near the center of the car to fully obstruct by themselves sun glare. If they were extended to such a point, they would render the rear vision mirror ineiiective for use when they were swung downwardly to a sun obstructing position.

Describing the various details comprising the sun visor structure, the bracket 03 is composed of parts 35 and 36. In Fig. 6, the part 35 is shown in perspective, and its cooperating part 39 is shown in plan in Fig. 4, and in section at different points of its length in Figs. 3 and 5. Part Si is provided with concavities 32 and 33 in which the ball-heads 36 and 35 of bolts it and i respectively seat. Part 3i also is furnished with an inturned flange 36, (see Figs. 3 and 5) which abuts the part 3t so as to maintain the remainder of part 3i in a spaced assembled relation to part 30.

Part 35 of the bracket I3 is provided with holes 36a, (see Fig. 6) through which the screws l3 and 20 extend to fasten it to the part 22, and the two parts in turn to the frame l8. Holes 3? and 33 are provided in part 30 (see Fig. 6) to complete the socket joints of which the member having concavities 32 and 33 forms a part.

Bolt 39 is provided to join parts 3|! and 3! together. Said bolt is first inserted in the hole 40 of part 30 and then applied to part 3| after the bolts I4 and I5 have been extended through the holes 3? and 38 of part 30.

Should the parts 30 and 3| becomeloose on account of wear, the nut ll may be tightened to compensate for the slack thus occasioned. Nuts 43 and M are provided to screw onto the bolts l4 and I5 and thereby complete the assembly of which the wings form a part. I

When it is desired to install the central visors of this invention on a car, the screws which originally fastened the part 22 to the frame I8 are removed and longer screws l9 and 20 are provided in their place. Thus simply by inserting the screws l9 and 20 through the holes 361; of the bracket l3 and using the original tapped holes in .the frame, the complete visor assembly may be quickly and easily installed.

When once installed, the wings H and I2 'may be manually adjusted from their full line inoperative position to dotted line operative position by shown a visor 50 at the left of the rear vision mirror 5! and a visor 52 at the right thereof. Said visors are similar in every respect with one exception, that being that one is the reverse of the other. Visor 50 is mounted to rotate upon the shaft 53, (see Fig. and the shaft 53 in turn has one end mounted in the split socket 5t provided in the bearing 55 (see Fig. 12), clamping screw 56 being utilized to secure the shaft 53 detachably therein. Bolt 53, having a globular head 58, is screwed into the body portion 59 of the bearing 55, the head 58 providing a ball joint about which the visor 55 may swing in an edgewise manner in certain movements of its swing to and from the inoperative position.

Head 53 is seated within a socket point provided by the cooperating plates 65 and iii, said plates being joined together by screw bolts 52, two of which are shown in Fig. 10. In addition to joining the plates 60 and BI together, said bolts from time to time may be adjusted to compensate for any wear which may take place between the heat 53 and the socket provided by said plates. Plate 60 is provided with a concavity 53 and plate El is provided with a scalloped opening M, (see Fig. 11) said concavity and scalloped opening being brought into juxta-position after the bolt 5? has been inserted and screw bolts 52 applied in the assembled relation of the parts shown in Fig. 10. Holes 55 have the same centers as the brackets which support visors 28 or 29, so that when it is desired to substitute the visor provided by this embodiment of the invention for the visor 28 and the visor 29, all that is necessary is to screw longer screw bolts 62 into the original tapped holes in which the shorter bolts were originally seated.

Mirror 5! is provided with a shank at and is mounted in the same relation to the panes 6'! and 68 of the windshield as is the mirror is already described.

In the operation of the visor provided in this embodiment, the visor 50 is bodily rotated about the shaft 53 from the full line inoperative position 69 to the dotted line position ill, (see Fig. '7). In the latter position, a portion of the visor would render the mirror 5| partially ineffective. and when the visor 52 would be similarly rotated, the entire mirror would be rendered ineffective. Thus it will be seen some means must be provided whereby the visor can be adjusted in an edgewise manner to bring it to the rear of the mirror. This means has been previously set forth in the disclosure relating to the ball and socket joint. Continuing the movement in the operation of the visor after the last position 10 is assumed, the visor is swung in an edgewise manner from position min Fig. 7 to position ll shown in Figs. '7 and 8. The visor then is rotated on the shaft 53 to a position wherein when it is swung edgewisely in an upward direction it is caused to assume the position 12 between the mirror and the windshield. Thus the edgewise adjustment of a visor wherein in its movement it is caused to take a position between the rearvision mirror and the windshield no matter whether it is pivoted at the center as shown in Fig. 1 or pivoted at the side as shown in Fig. '7. is the common feature on which the two embodiments of the invention are based.

When it is desired to shield the driver or the occupant of the car from the sun at the side of the vehicle, visor 52 will be considered as an example in -describing the operation. The visor is first rotated about the shaft l4 from position to position 16 seen in either Fig. 7 or Fig. 9. Visor 52 is then rotated through an angle of -90 degrees about the axis provided bybolt 51 as indicated by the arrow il in Fig. 7. At'the termination of this 90 degree swing, the visor is swung downwardly in an edgewise manner to the position 18.

If now visor 52 is adjusted to a position similar to the position 12 of visor 52; their inner edges vice to secure the result in the efficient manner provided by this embodiment .answers a longfelt need.

It should be understood that the present dis,- closure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the subject matter claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a structure of the kind described, the combination, with a vehicle having a windshield mounted thereon and a rearyvision mirror located in a rearwardly spaced relation to the central portion of said windshield; of a pair of plate-like visors, and means whereby said visors are mounted to swing in an edgewise manner between said mirror and said windshield from an upstanding position wherein adjacent edges of said visors are in a contiguous parallel position to a pendant position wherein their adjacent edges are in a like relation.

2. In a structure of the kind described, a rear vision mirror having ashank portion, a support for said shank portion, a visor, a bracket to which a corner portion of said visor is fastened to swing in a vertical plane rearwardly of said mirror, and

common means fastening said bracket and said support to the frame of an automobile, whereby an edge portion of said visor may be edgewisely swung from an inoperative position through a right angle into an operative abutting relation to the shank of said mirror. j i

3. A sun visor comprising a pair of wing members, a' support, a mirror provided with a shank fastened to said support, and means to pivot adjacentcorners of said wing members to said support whereby they may be swung in an edgewise manner in opposite directions while maintaining them in a non-overlapping relation, from an upstanding to. a pendant position, bringing adjacent edges of said wings into contiguity an'd parallelism with each other in both of said positions.

- 4. The combination with a rear vision mirror for an automobile having a shank for supportin said mirror in spaced relation with the central portion of a windshield, and a support ,for said shank; of a visor comprising a pair of wings each including a ball-head bolt, a bracket fastened to said shank support for supporting said wings;

panes of a V-type windshield of an automobile; of a pair of visors for shielding the glare in the area of the windshield adjacent to said mirror,

and means to mount said visors in a glare obstructing position with relation to said windshield.

on both sides of said vertex wherein certain edges of each visor at the limit of their swing are brought into registry with said shank intervenin between them. 1

6. The combination with a rear vision mirror having a shank affording a supporting means mounted on an automobile adjacent the vertex of the'intersecting panes of a windshield; of a pair of visors having edge portions adapted to be brought into contiguity between said mirror and said windshield on opposite sides of said shank, a mounting means for each of said visors comprising a pair of plates providing between them a socket joint, and a bolt fastened to a corner por tion of each visor,,said bolt aving a spherical head mounted in' said joint, nd a support for said plates fastened to said supporting means.

7. 'A rear vision mirror provided with a shank supported by the frame of an automobile centrally of the windshield thereof, and a visor comprising a .pair'of wing members supported by a bracket depending from said shank support, means pivoting adjacent corner portions of said wings to said bracket to reversely swing them edgewisely in opposite directions whereby at the operative limit of their swing, adjacent edges thereof are brought into contiguity between said mirror and windshield with said shank intervening between them.

8. In a device of the kind described, a support adjacent a windshield of an automobile, a mirror provided with a shank fastened to said support, a bracket fastened to said support, a pair-of oppositely juxtaposed swinging visors, pivot means comprising a bail and'socket joint to fasten each of said visors to said bracket to operate in reverse directions in a vertical plane between said mirror and said bracket whereby adjacent edgesthereof are brought into contiguity at the limit of their swing in opposite directions; 4

9. A bracket comprising a pair of plates, there being a concavity in one plate and a scalloped opening in the other plate, said concavity and opening having concentric centers when said plates are assembled, a bolt having a ball-shaped head, said boltextending through said opening and having the outer portion of its head resting in said concavity and the portion of said head adjacent the stem of said bolt occupying said opening, means joining said plates in a spaced adapted to abut its companion plate to 'r'naintain the spaced relation of said plates when they are cooperatively joined together, a rear vision mirror having a shank portion, a support for said shank portion, and common means fastening said bracket to said support and said combined bracket and support to the frame of an automobile, whereby an edge portion of said visor may be edgewisely swung'froin an inoperative position through, a

right angle into an operative abutting relation 7o 

